i have a horse that has some joint problems, and has recently tore the lateral cartilage in his stifle. he’s really sore and depressed right now, and i have been giving him bran mashes about once to twice a week to perk him up and make him feel special. he tends to eat anything that i put in there, so i was wondering if there are any additives that i can put in to help with his pain.
i’m currently using:
half of his usual gran ration and that much bran
molasses and honey drizzled over the top
a tiny bit of peppermint extract
table salt to keep him drinking
powdered electrolytes
sliced carrots and apples
a few horse cookies on top =]

he is currently on MSM and glucosamine supplements, and on pain medication.

So me questions are:
-what kind of ingredients do you use in your mashes that may have different flavors for variety?
-are there any NATURAL ingredients that i can add to help with his pain?

wendy-
if my horse was otherwise healthy, i would be concerned with diabetes. but its only a matter of time now until we have to put him down. he has so many problems that there is no chance for recovery. we’re just concentrating on keeping him as pain-free and happy as possible until i can bear to let him go. he was the only horse that i’ve ever had a great connection with, so i am sure you can understand how hard this is. so please no attacks on me for being selfish. he is on the supplement daily. the vet has said that we should try anything possible to help him, and the reason that i want to go natural with this is so it wont interfere with his other meds. what i was actually looking for was an oil or something that was a natural pain releiver. ex. lavender oil for calming.
please no nasty comments; i cant really handle them right now.

I know nothing really about glucosamine supplements but I have a 2 year old mutt and her hips click when she sits and I have noticed she hesitates on the stairs. I spoke to the vet and he told me I can try glucosamine supplements.

The ones I started her on have 500mg glucosamine
400mg Chondrotin sulfate
50mg MSM
50mg Vitamin C
15mg Zinc
6 mg Hyaluronic acid
5mg maganese
2mg copper

That is per tablet and she is 40lbs and gets 1/2 tablet once daily.

Is this the recommended amount and if not what is..Thank you!
The name that i see on the bottle is 21st Century pet health.

She is also taking fish oil pills and co-Q10

I have a 16 1/2 year old Queensland mix (pound dog) and am torn up by not knowing when it’s right to put her down. She does have arthritis, and will hurt her knee, limp for days, have to go on prednisone, I’ll be terrified that "this is it." Then she comes out of it and seems better for a while. She’s quite deaf but it doensn’t seem to bother her. She does have a little trouble laying down and getting up (and those are her two positions: standing or lying down).

She’s now peeing on the floor in little spots several times a day. She has good days and not so good days. But on the other hand, she still wags her "nub" when I come up to her, still begs for table scraps (when she was 14 I decided she could eat whatever the heck she wanted,) still drinks, still follows me and lays down next to wherever I’m sitting.

When not on the Prednisone, she’s on Rimadyl for arthritis pain. She’s on a hormone pill once a week for bladder continence, takes glucosamine every day, etc.

I know I don’t want her to suffer, and yet i don’t want to steal any of her lifetime away by putting her down if it’s not time. And she’s my girl; I had her before I got married, before kids. She’s been the most wonderful, loyal, amazing creature in my life.

Thanks in advance for any advice
Wow, thank you everyone for your kind responses. It’s only been an hour and I’ve gotten so many wonderful, supportive responses with great advice. Thank you so much.

Written on this Renwin joint care box it states that the tablets help rebuild cartilage. "IF" this is true then how long would it take before I can see actual results and the healing begins? Should i continue jogging while i take these chondroitin /glucosamine tablets or should I avoid all sport that stress out the knee tissue??